BRISTOL TOWNSHIP, PA — A Bristol Township man is facing multiple homicide charges in connection with a deadly crash that police say happened last year in the Levittown section of the township.
Police identified the defendant as 32-year-old William Modzelewski. The Bristol Township Police Department said the charges stem from a Nov. 20, 2024 collision in which investigators believe he was intoxicated behind the wheel.
According to police, the crash left one man in the other vehicle with serious injuries. He later died at Jefferson-Torresdale Hospital in Philadelphia.
Police say the crash happened before dawn on Veterans Highway
Investigators said the accident happened shortly after 2 a.m. when an F-150 pickup hit a Toyota 4Runner. Police said the Toyota was trying to make a left turn from Plumridge Drive onto southbound Veterans Highway at the time of impact.
The early-morning timing and the turn onto a busy roadway are central to the case as police reconstruct the sequence of events. The department has not publicly described any other vehicles or additional people involved.
What police have outlined so far points to a single collision that quickly turned fatal. The case now moves from the crash scene and hospital treatment into the criminal court system.
Charges include homicide by vehicle and death while driving under the influence
Modzelewski faces multiple charges, including homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence, accidents involving death or injury, and homicide by vehicle.
Those counts reflect the serious nature of the allegations and the state of the case as described by police. Authorities have said the driving impairment they suspect was a factor in the crash.
No plea or court outcome has been announced. The criminal complaint places the focus on whether intoxication and the collision together meet the legal standard for the charges filed against him.
The victim was taken to Jefferson-Torresdale Hospital after the collision
Police said the driver of the Toyota sustained serious injuries in the wreck and was taken for treatment in Philadelphia. He later died at Jefferson-Torresdale Hospital.
The identity of the man who died was not included in the information released by police. Authorities also did not provide details about the extent of the damage to either vehicle beyond the fact that the pickup struck the SUV during the left turn.
The hospital death turned what began as a serious crash investigation into a homicide case. That shift is common in fatal traffic cases when law enforcement believes criminal conduct contributed to the death.
Modzelewski had not yet been arraigned as the case was announced
When the charges were announced, police said Modzelewski had not yet been arraigned. That means the matter was still at an early procedural stage, with formal court processing still ahead.
Arraignment typically follows an arrest or filing of charges and gives the accused an initial opportunity to hear the allegations in court. Police did not provide a date for when that step would take place.
The case will now proceed through the Bucks County court process unless additional developments emerge. For now, the public record consists of the police account of the crash, the death, and the charges filed afterward.
Bristol Township crash adds to the region’s broader traffic safety concerns
The fatal collision unfolded in the Levittown section of Bristol Township, a dense residential and commercial area where Plumridge Drive meets Veterans Highway. Early-morning traffic in that part of the township can include commuters, local drivers and through traffic on a major road.
While police did not discuss broader enforcement efforts in this case, the charges highlight how quickly an intersection crash can become a criminal matter when alcohol is alleged to be involved. The department’s filing also underscores the legal consequences that can follow a deadly roadway collision.
For the family of the man who died, the case brings a delayed but formal response more than a year after the wreck. For the defendant, it means facing serious felonies tied to a crash that police say should never have happened.
